ABSTRACT
To our benefit, the well-recognized global health concern that is cardiovascular disease (CVD) seems to have an accessible, effective solution—food. The component nutrients of what we eat can be an effective strategy against the CVD morbidity and mortality that affects both men and women across a variety of ethnic groups. Over the past decades, increasing numbers of epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between dietary patterns and the risk of CVD. Solidifying these population findings are prospective clinical trials that have investigated the influence of dietary interventions on cardiovascular endpoints, with the overall findings indicating beneficial effects on two major modifiable CVD risk factors, hypertension and elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, as well as reduced inflammatory markers. In addition, current research indicates the risk of developing CVD increases twofold with diabetes, a condition linked to obesity and commonly addressed through nutritional modifications. These findings have uncovered a more direct role of glucose dysregulation on vascular health. 1,2 As a result, dietary recommendations have been purported as a means to prevent and treat CVD by opinion leader organizations and cardiologists in clinical practice.
